Our Mission
by AnnieLuv93
Summary: ((SasuXSaku, Naruto Gaiden)) She understood that she was helping him with his internal mission of rebuilding his clan. She was his wife. Sakura was happy with her little family, but sometimes things just feel... empty..
1. Chapter 1

_**Hey everyone! This is inspired by the Naruto Gaiden series taking place generally after the Chunin exams. Sasuke and Sakura pairing. They just never seem to really have their own moments, so i wanted to elaborate on those. Just something that was in my head and had to type out. Not exactly sure where it's ending up, im just gonna wing it basically. Hope you all enjoy :)**_

Chapter 1

It was quiet this Saturday evening. As the sun was setting, a pink haired woman carried two grocery bags down the empty street towards the Uchiha compound. Sarada was with friends tonight, so Sakura didn't have to hurry to an empty home. She wouldn't waste time cooking a meal just for herself either, as she remembered giving Sarada her allowance before she had left. Sakura's shift at the hospital today wasn't very exciting, thankfully though that was due to the long awaited peace between the countries. She smiled to herself as she thought of the people who had made that all happen. Especially her teammate, Naruto.

He is doing great as the Seventh, Sakura thought in all honesty. He might overwork himself a bit, and try and spread himself too thin sometimes, but he was doing his best. She reached into her pocket and pulled out two keys. The first opened the outside gate, the second unlocked the house. Once she was inside, she kicked her shoes off at the stoop and put on her slippers, hanging her keys on a hook by the door. Sakura turned towards the hallway looking at the empty house. She flipped a light on. "Im home." she sighed, even though no one would answer her.

Sarada was out with her friends a lot lately, whether it was training with Boruto and Mitsuki, or at the Diner with Chouchou. She was glad her daughter was becoming stronger every day, and even more so glad that she had friends who care for her. Sarada definitely had Sakura's strength and Sasuke's skills.

 _Sasuke…_ he hadn't been home in a month. She knew his mission had been far away this time. He never liked to linger around the village too long anyways. He would stay long enough to spend time with Sarada and to crash train with Boruto. Sakura enjoyed it when he was home, though the contact between them was… limited in a way. He cared for her in his own way, the way any man would care for the mother of his child. Sakura accepted this as her duty. She would raise his daughter and take care of his home while he was on his missions. She was his wife.. wasn't she?

Sakura flipped the lights on in the kitchen and set the grocery bags on the counter. She sighed, brushing her hair behind her ear and began putting the few things she picked up away. Sakura then filled up the kettle with water and opened a cup of instant ramen. She set it on the stove and then patiently waited for it to boil. Sakura leaned on the counter looking out the window into the back yard. She sighed deeply again. A lot of the nights were like this now. Just… lonely.. Almost feeling empty nested. Sarada was so grown, she almost never needed her mother. As she looked into the backyard she smiled to herself, imagining a young Sasuke training in this very backyard with his brother. Sometimes Sarada would do her shuriken training there. Sakura couldn't help but see her father in every move she made. She can't begin to explain how proud of her she was. She hoped Sasuke was just as proud of her as she was.

When he was home he was still as silent and brooding as ever, but it was comfortable. He didn't throw off an uncomfortable aura around him anymore. She believed he was becoming at ease with his little family. Sarada adored her father, and she knew Sasuke adored her too. Sasuke would smile with her, talk with her, tell her stories. Even now Sasuke was beginning to smile at Sakura too. He always complimented her cooking and thanked her for taking care of everything. And usually, that's as far as it would go.. Sasuke and Sakura were married after she discovered she was pregnant. It was an extremely private ceremony, only Kakashi there to marry them and Naruto to witness. The ceremony though was clearly just for formality because she had gotten pregnant. And Sasuke being Sasuke, he wanted to make it legitimate. Sakura understood that she was now a part of his mission in rebuilding his clan. She knew he cared for her deeply.. but she couldn't quite say he was in love with her. That night of the wedding, Sasuke had left for another high profile mission that had lasted near her whole pregnancy.

The whistle of the kettle jolted her out of her thoughts. She cursed and flipped the stove off, removing the kettle from the heat. The steaming water filled up the ramen cup and she set her chopsticks across the lid to let it sit.

Just as she was about to sit down at the table, she heard the front door open and close. _Is Sarada home so early?_ Sakura thought and stood up from the table and went into the hall.

"Sarad-" she started, but instead of it being her little girl, it was a tall dark headed man. He looked up at her as he slipped his shoes off and took off his cloak. "Sasuke?" she whispered.

Sasuke turned more towards her. "I'm home." he said to her and rubbed the back of his neck like he was sore.

Sakura's heart fluttered a bit. Every time he came home she became a bit more nervous. But she smiled at him and folded her hands by her lap. "Welcome home Sasuke." she said gently to him.

He glanced around. "Is Sarada not home?" he asked her.

"Eh, no. She went out with Chouchou to meet up with everyone at the diner I believe. She said she's probably going to stay over." Sakura said. Then realizing, that they were going to be alone…

Usually Sarada was home when he was. They never were really alone unless they were in bed. Even then, Sasuke didn't sleep very much, and would sit in his father's old study going through research from the missions. By the time he came to bed Sakura would already be passed out, and by the time she would wake he would already be up training before breakfast.

Then she realized she wasn't prepared for him to come home and she hadn't cooked anything. "Oh!" she said and covered her mouth. "Are you hungry? I can fix you something if you are." Sakura asked like the good wife she was.

"Im ok, don't worry about me." he said walking down the hall. He paused at the kitchen doorway and saw the pitiful ramen cup waiting for Sakura on the table. He looked back at her. "Have you been eating properly?" he asked her in his usual cool even tone.

Sakura looked at the ramen and blushed. "Uh well… I didn't want to cook very much if no one else was going to eat it. It fills me up."

Sasuke turned to her. "Not very nutritional. You should eat properly."

Sakura blushed again. He always made her like this when he was home. "I'll try," she said.

Sasuke winced again and rubbed the back of his neck. Sakura showed concern on her face. "Let me draw you a bath." she put a hand on his arm. Sasuke looked down at her and gave her a gentle smile and nodded.

She smiled back and hurried to the bath. Once the water was hot she let the tub fill. It was rare they had these moments. And she wished they had more of them, but he was always so busy. Once the tub was filled, she called to Sasuke it was ready and went into the kitchen to finish her measly ramen. An hour passed, she finished cleaning the kitchen and decided to head to bed. Sarada had already called to check in saying her and Chouchou were having a sleepover since it was the weekend. So she locked the doors and turned out all the lights and headed down the hall to the bedroom.

When she opened the door she expected Sasuke to already be in his study. He sat the edge of the bed rubbing his neck. His hair was damp, he was wearing dark blue sweats and a black tee shirt. Sakura almost hesitated, but when he looked up at her she felt stupid just standing there. Sakura went into the closet and put on a pair of leggings and a tee shirt as well. When she came back Sasuke was still in the same spot on his side of the bed.

Sakura bit her lip. "Rough trip?" she asked him as she got closer to her side of the bed, his back to her.

"Nothing I can't handle." he said trying to brush it off as usual.

Sakura smiled and watched him as he tried to rub out the soreness in his neck himself. She then crawled over to him across the mattress and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Here." she said and brushed his hand away.

As she went to work on his neck, he seemed to wince a little, but hardly visible. Sakura worked her fingers into his stiff muscles, working down to his shoulders. She could feel him relax, which made her relax. "You shouldn't work yourself too hard Sasuke. Sarada may need you in one piece someday." she teased him gently.

Sasuke only hnn-ed.

She smiled to herself again. She never thought she would actually be the woman in his life to rub his shoulders after a long day of work. She had always hoped when she was just a Genin that she would be, but as she had grown.. she was unsure. Even some days now she felt like that. She knew he would only let her in so far. She was just merely part of his internal mission.

When she felt his muscles relax in his neck and shoulders, she rubbed his back lightly and then patted him on the shoulder

. "There. You should feel a little better." she said, keeping a private smile to she could lift her hand away, he caught her hand on his shoulder, and simply held it there. Sakura was a little surprised, but she wasn't about to pull away. She moved a little closer to him when he didn't let go of her, and slowly embraced him from behind. Once he was in her arms he sighed with a sort of relief. "You ok?" she asked quietly, concern tipping her voice.

Sasuke just nodded then, and gently pulled from her embrace and stood up turning toward her. "Just… thank you." he said as he looked down at her with his intense obsidian stare.

She blushed and turned away from him, embarrassed he was looking down at her like that.

Sasuke smirked and brushed his knuckles across her cheek. "I'm going into the study. Don't wait up." he said and left her alone. Sakura sighed aloud, her face feeling hot. Her cheek burned where he touch her. Sakura placed a hand on her cheek where she burned and flopped back on the bed.

 _Baby steps…_ she said. _Maybe we'll get there eventually…_

 _ **So there's that. And I'm pretending Sakura didn't destroy the house in the manga btw, just thought it was easier lol. And it would be a tad bit more sentimental. Well, I'll be working on a second chapter, hopefully I'll put one out once a week depending on how busy I am. I'll keep everyone who's interested updated :)**_

 _ **~Annie**_


	2. Chapter 2

Chp 2

 _Thnk…. Thnk…. Thnk…._

Sakura's eyes fluttered open at the noise. She rolled over and looked at the clock.

 _Almost 7am?_ She groaned to herself and sighed, sitting up in her bed. She needed to start breakfast then now that Sasuke was home. Sakura got out of bed and walked over to the window that also peered into the backyard. There Sarada was, aiming her shuriken properly and hitting her target on the tree almost every time. Sasuke was leaning against a tree watching her with approval in his eye, giving her instructions from time to time.

Sakura smiled to herself. _Of course. Those two never take a break._ It meant a lot to Sarada to have her dad home. His presence always made them both feel at ease, and it gave Sarada a little extra fire in her spirit. She was more determined to impress her father when he made an effort to come around.

Sakura started a hot shower, stepping under the spray and quickly washing herself. When she was finished they were still outside training, so she headed to the kitchen to make breakfast. She made the usual, rice, miso, and tamagoyaki. By the time she was done rolling the omelet, Sarada dashed through the kitchen with her pack in a hurry. "Hi mom, bye mom!" she said heading for the door.

"Eh?! I just made breakfast!" she hollered at her flopping the omelet onto a plate.

"Sorry! Boruto and Mitsuki are waiting for me at the training grounds!" she waved at her mother and disappeared out the door. Sakura groaned hanging her head and gave an irritated sigh. _Damn kid._ She continued slicing the tamagoyaki.

"Looks good." said a deep voice from behind her, startling her.

"Gah!" she yelled out, the knife slipping and cutting her finger. Immediately a small droplet of blood welled up from the wound. "Damnit!" she cursed.

Sasuke took her hand in his and sighed. "Sometimes I could forget you're a powerful kunoichi with how easily I startle you." he put the cut up to his lips and licked the wound clean. Sakura winced a little, her cheeks turning red. He pulled a bandage out from the pouch on his hip and carefully placed it over the cut.

"Can you blame me?" she took her hand away and shook her head hoping he didn't notice her blush. "Here, sit." she gestured to the table as she began serving the rice and soup into their bowls.

Sasuke took his usual place, and Sakura set his breakfast in front of him. The two of them ate in silence with nothing but the low volume chatter of a couple of news anchors from the small television they had on the kitchen counter. Sakura finished before Sasuke and put her bowls in the sink. "I have a half shift at the hospital today. Put your dishes in the sink when you're done ok?"

Sasuke nodded at her. She began her way towards the hallway and out the door. "Oh, Sakura." he said before she could make it out the kitchen.

"Hm?" she asked and looked back at him.

"The food is great by the way." he managed to give her his usual cool smirk.

That perked her soul up a bit. She smiled back at him. "I'll be back before dinner." she waved back at him and left the compound. Sakura made her way down the busy streets of Konoha. Sunday was always a lively day. Everyone was doing their shopping, spending time with family. "Sakuraaa chaaaan!" she heard, and spotted Ino and Temari at a cafe waving at her. She waved back. Chouji was with his wife walking through the outside stores, they waved, she waved. She spotted Iruka Sensei going over a tactic book with Mirai, and Ten Ten sweeping the front of her weapons shop. Everything was just the way it's supposed to be.

She made it to the hospital on time, going into the locker room, putting her hair up and her smock on. A nurse handed her a list of patients and their records, a minor day today. Not too many major injuries, and most of them were just check ups. She flipped through the paperwork, and stopped on a rather familiar name. _Uzumaki Hinata?_ Her brow furrowed and decided to check in on her first. Sakura walked through the pristine white halls and stopped at suite 18 where they parked Hinata. When she opened the door, her childhood friend was sitting on top of the bed with her hands folded nervously i her lap

"Hinata?" Sakura looked down at the clipboard. "Whats up, whats going on?"

The Seventh's wife rubbed her temple. "Nothing much really, Naruto insisted I come her this morning to get checked out because I haven't been feeling very well."

Sakura pulled up a rolling chair and sat in front of her pulling her pen out. "Alright, what's happening?"

Hinata began listing her symptoms. "Well I've been getting headaches quite frequently, and I've been feeling sick to my stomach and getting light headed and weak feeling at times. I fainted yesterday and thankfully Naruto was there to catch me. He insisted on taking me to the hospital last night but I told him I'd go in the morning. I don't want to worry him."

Sakura wrote everything down. "Hm… well, it doesnt sound too serious, probably a bug. I'm sure you're fine, you're strong." Sakura smiled. "I'll have the nurse run a few tests on you and I'll check in in a little bit with the results." she said professionally, and stood back up. "Just sit tight. And relax, you're going to be fine."

Hinata nervously smiled back at her friend and nodded confidently. Sakura continued her rounds around the hospital. She helped wrap a little boys broken arm, he had fallen out of a tree trying to save his little sister's kitten. A Genin had a nice looking cut from training on her arm that needed a few stitches. Nothing serious. Finally around noon, Hinata's nurse came by with her results and handed them over to Sakura. She flipped through the pages, and stopped, wide eyed.

She gasped and ran down the hall, bursting into Hinata's suite and nearly startled the poor Hokage's wife half to death.

"Hinata!" she came over and handed her the clipboard with the overall results. The confused woman took the clipboard with a worried look on her face and flipped through the pages to the last one. Sakura frantically pointed at the result. Hinata's eyes went wide and she covered her mouth.

Sakura smiled wide. "Congratulations! It's about seven weeks along."

Hinata fanned her face. "Oh my… I'm… pregnant. Again." she placed a hand over her belly. "That would explain why I'm constantly craving tsukemono." she laughed at herself.

Sakura sat down in her rolling stool across from Hinata who seemed to be absorbing this. "You ok?" she asked and patted her knee.

Hinata nodded and then smiled. "Yeah, just surprised. Naruto is going to be too. He's been hinting at having another baby."

Sakura giggled. "So Naruto likes to stay busy I see." she playfully wagged her eyebrows at Hinata.

Hinata blushed and laughed. "Let's not go there!"

Sakura finished Hinata's appointment and wrote her a prescription for some nausea medication and recommended her to rest more. By the end of it, Hinata seemed to glow. Naruto's family was always growing. I guess when you grown up alone, you make up for it later on in life. Sakura walked with Hinata to the front of the Hospital chatting quietly. Sakura congratulated her once again and waved at her as she left down the road. She smiled to herself and watched her friend disappear in the distance. _Another baby huh…_ Sakura then thought about Sarada and when she was born. She went after Sasuke while he was on a mission with Karin, and Sarada decided to come a little earlier than planned. She had no choice but to give birth in the field at the hideout. Karin and her had put aside their differences and the kunoichi helped deliver Sarada.

Sasuke had been scouting the surrounding area to make sure to keep them safe. She remembered the look on his face when he came into the hideout after Sarada was born. Sakura was exhausted and flushed. He had immediately went to her side as she held the wiggling bundle in her arms. Sakura carefully put Sarada in his arm, helping him support her.

" _She looks just like you. You did very well Sakura."_ Sasuke whispered to her and pressed his lips gently to Sakura's forehead. A rare gesture from him.

Sakura could only give him a breathy chuckle. _"She looks more like her father to me."_ Sakura leaned on him. And they stayed like that for the whole night. Karin even offered to scout the area for them as they rested. Giving the new parents privacy was important.

Sakura shook her head, putting herself back in reality, She couldn't help but smile to herself at the memory. One of the happiest moments of her life. Now Hinata gets to experience that joy for the third time. Lucky woman. Naruto was a very loving husband and a good father, even if he was quite busy being the Hokage. Sakura placed a hand over her own stomach. Sasuke and her never actually talked about kids. Sarada just kind of… happened…

Sakura finished up her last couple of hours at the hospital and started home around 3 in the afternoon. She needed to stop by the flower shop and one other place before she went home. Sarada appeared with Boruto and Mitsuki. "Mom!" she said and waved running over.

"Sarada. Hello Boruto, Mitsuki." she smiled down at the kids.

"Mom you should have seen it! I activated my sharingan without being provoked! And Dad helped Boruto with the rasengan jutsu, its getting really good!" she said excitedly, bother her and Boruto looking proud.

"That's wonderful you guys!" she ruffled the young Uzumaki boy's hair, wondering if he even knew he was going to have another sibling. Probably not. If Hinata had told her family, or even just Naruto, it'd be all over the village by now. Naruto tends to get quite excited about things like that. Literally yelling it from the rooftops. She couldn't imagine Sasuke ever doing that. Which was fine with her, she wasn't so much into big gestures anymore like she was when she was a kid.

"I'll be home for dinner ok?" Sarada said as they all started off again. Kids and their infinite energy. Sakura waved them off and sighed happily, and continued down towards the Yamanaka Flower shop. Ino's mother was inside, spraying a few of the bouquets with water. The older woman smiled at her and went behind the counter to get her monthly order.

"Here you go Sakura." she said handing it to her. "Off to visit the Uchiha shrine as usual?"

Sakura nodded. "Yep. Sasuke returned home safe yesterday."

"Such a dutiful wife you are. Not many people take the time to take care of their own family shrines much less someone else's."

Sakura smiled again. "They're my family now. I have to take care of them."

 _ **And so goes Chapter 2. Hmm… does anyone smell baby fever or is it just me? Well we shall see ;)**_

 _ **~Annie**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Hello everyone, just wanted to say thank you for reading those of you who are hanging in there. And I just wanted to also say something since a few people have been on my case about it already, Yes, I understand Karin and Sasuke didn't go on the mission together, I hadn't found the correct version until after I wrote it, soooo tough cookies. It's a minor part in this story anyways, and guess what guys? It's only a fanfiction. Although I am always open to corrections and criticism, keep in mind I'm probably going to make mistakes, it's not like I'm getting published. If it bothers you, I'm sorry but maybe you should read elsewhere, it really won't offend me :)**_

 _ **Anyways, thanks again to those of you who enjoy this thing. Let's see where we go!**_

Chapter 3

Sakura made the walk down to the Uchiha shrine. It was a little ways past the compound next to an empty training ground. Sarada liked to come here with her sometimes. Help her wipe away the dust from the name plaques, clear the weeds from around it. The field was empty when she arrived. The breeze blew by in a comforting manner. They knew she was here. That was what Sakura liked to tell herself. She neared the shine and sat on her knees bowing her head. "Sorry I'm a little late this month." she said aloud to the shrine. "Sasuke came home safe last night. I feel I have you all to thank." she pulled a handkerchief from her pocket and began to wipe away the dust and make sure everything was in order. She only picked a few weeds from around the base, and laid the flowers out for them carefully. She clasped her hands together when she was done and bowed. "Thank you. For keeping him safe for me. I know he can do it on his own but… I just want to make sure.. Sarada-chan is getting bigger each day, she resembles her father so much. She is so happy when he's home, and I would do anything to keep that smile on her face." she clapped her hands , and sighed, opening her eyes.

She just sat there then, enjoying the calming silence and the breeze. She wondered if Sasuke came here to talk to them like she did. It was hard to imagine… but maybe…

She stood up after a few minutes, getting ready to set home. But she could feel familiar chakra coming this way. Sakura turned around towards the woods and Sasuke emerged from behind a tree. "Didn't know you like to visit this place so much." he said walking over to her in front of the shrine. Sakura felt like she had been caught in the act, blushing a bit. She just shrugged it off however.

"I try to come every month. Sarada too." she bit her lip.

Sasuke sighed, and went down on a knee and bowed his head in silence for a moment. When he was done he stood up. "You don't have to burden yourself." he said, staring down at the shrine.

Sakura shook her head. "It's not a burden at all! They're-" she hesitated. And when she did, Sasuke looked down at her. Sakura shook her head again. "They're my family now too. Paying respects once in awhile is nothing. I just wish I could do more." she looked up at him, placing a hand on his arm.

"You're doing enough, Sakura. You don't need to." Sasuke kept her gaze.

"You're wrong." she ended up smiling. "It'll never be enough to me. I know you can take care of yourself, but this is just my way of taking care of you. I am your wife after all."

Sasuke seemed taken aback by that. He looked away from her and back at the shrine. He looked at the name plaques that were clean, and the ground around it was manicured. The flowers were placed delicately, something his mother would appreciate.

"You know…" he started quietly. "My mother would have liked you." he said, his eyes softening as he thought about his family. "If she was here today I bet you two would be good friends. She would love Sarada too. She would have probably spoiled her like she had always wanted. I knew she wanted a daughter eventually, but my father was always hesitant with having more children."

Sakura felt her heart flutter. Sasuke didn't talk to her about his family very much. Most of what she knew she had to learn from others. Sakura shook her head and smiled. She wanted to hug him… So she did. Her hand that was on his arm slid to his back, and she gently wrapped herself around him. Sasuke was unsure for a second, but he slowly embraced her. Before she pulled away she looked up at him as he looked down at her. Sakura wanted to kiss him, but instead he softly put his lips to her forehead. She'll take it.

Sakura's face was probably red by now, but she didn't care. Their marriage was strange and unconventional, but it's how she accepted it. Eventually they both pulled away and the breeze blew around them like it was sad to see them apart. She brushed her hair behind her ear and gave Sasuke a grin. "Cmon, walk home with me." she nodded her head towards their house. Sasuke nodded and joined her stride.

As they entered the yard, Sakura remembered about Hinata. "So you want to know something Naruto doesn't know?" she looked over at her husband.

"Hn?" Sasuke glanced over at her as they both made it up the steps to the door.

"Hinata is pregnant again." she giggled.

Sasuke smirked. "Naruto doesn't sit still for long does he." he opened the door for her.

"Definitely not. He's already so busy, I just hope he doesn't lose himself. Hinata says he consumes himself with more work than necessary. But, she says she supports him no matter what, so things are probably well at home." Sakura sighed.

"At least Boruto isn't acting out as much anymore." Sasuke hung his cloak up.

"Yeah. I'm glad Sarada takes after your calm side. I don't think I could handle her if she took after me."

"Make her angry enough and she does." Sasuke passed by her and poked her in the forehead before going into the kitchen.

Sakura rubbed her forehead and couldn't help but smile to herself. She followed him into the kitchen, he was filling a kettle with water for some tea. She leaned against the door jam and crossed her arms. "Sasuke?" she said quietly.

"Hn?" he said, continuing to set the kettle on the stove.

"Are you… hesitant about having more children?" she asked cautiously.

That made him stop and turn to her. "Sakura…" he sighed.

"It's part of your mission right?" Sakura defended, taking a step towards him. She was going to be rejected, she could feel it.. "I know Sarada wasn't exactly planned. But you told me when we found out I was pregnant you wanted to make things right, and I know that you weren't talking about me. You want to rebuild your clan, and that's a little hard to do with just one child."

"Sakura." Sasuke closed his eyes.

She took another step towards him. "If you're going to argue the point that you're not going to be around much to help, that's fine. You do what you feel you need to. I handled myself just fine the first time i'm pretty sure I can do it again."

When Sasuke opened his eyes she went quiet. She didn't waver, she needed to stay strong. The silence felt like it lasted forever even though it only lasted a few seconds. The front door opened, and Sarada announced she was home.

Sasuke. turned away from her and back to making the tea. "We'll discuss this another time." he said, the kettle beginning to whistle.

Sarada came into the kitchen and looked up at her mother. Sakura had a look of defeat on her face, but quickly shook it off focusing on Sarada. "How was your day Sarada?" she asked smiling down at her putting her hands on her knees to bend to her level.

"Great! We always make good progress when Dad comes by." she said.

Sakura was never jealous, but she had to say Sarada was never excited to see her mother at the training grounds. "That's great dear." she smiled. "So what should I make for dinner tonight?"

"Sukiyaki!" she cheered. "I'll help!" she said and went for the bag of rice to begin rinsing it. Sakura smiled and went to the fridge to begin pulling out what she needed.

Sasuke managed to make his tea and went to the study until he would be called for dinner. Sarada flipped the counter top TV onto a popular game show that made you do funny dares for money. As Sakura prepared the food, she listened to Sarada talk about her day. She sliced the beef as thinly as she could, the vegetables just a bit thicker. The lull of the tv in the background was enough to make her contently zone out. She wondered if she had upset Sasuke somehow. It's not like they were a very intimate couple, if at all. A majority of the time he was away on missions that only he could handle and would take weeks or months to come home. Everytime he came home it was like she had to readjust. She tried to imagine having another baby in the house. She would have Sarada to help a little at least , while Sasuke was working. She remembered when Sarada was little she would ask if she would ever get to be a big sister. Sakura would only laugh and say, _maybe someday._ Hopefully, that would happen soon.

Once everything was done and served, Sarada went to get her father from his study. They all ate together, Sarada retelling her tale of part of her day for Sasuke. Occasionally they both would smile, Sarada would laugh and Sasuke would quietly chuckle. Sakura observed her little family, quietly finishing before everyone else. Sarada was last to finish as always, and Sasuke reminded her to finish reading her tactic book he gave her before her training with Konohomaru tomorrow. She groaned a little bit, but she took the book and laid on the couch to read it. Sakura started on the dishes while the TV had changed to a talk show.

Sasuke came back into the kitchen after a little while to refresh his cup of tea. Sakura glanced over at him. He kept his attention on the kettle as he poured. Besides the dull noise of the TV, the silence was nerve wrecking. She rinsed out the dishes and began to wipe them with a dry cloth. Sasuke dipped the tea bag in the steaming cup and continued to baste it in silence. When she couldn't handle it anymore, she turned towards him. "Are we going to talk about earlier?" she asked.

Sasuke continued with the tea, his eyes closed. "Later, Sakura." he insisted,

A pang of defeat went through her, and she didn't press him further. He took his cup and went into the study closing the door behind him, leaving her alone with just the dishes and the noise of the television. As the last dish was dried and put away, she realised it was getting a little late. Sakura looked into the living room to where Sarada had been. Her daughter was passed out on the couch, the tactic book fallen open on the floor. Sakura couldn't help but smile. She picked up the book and set it aside, and then carefully slipped Sarada into her arms and carried her upstairs to her room. Sarada was dead to the world as Sakura gently laid her in her bed and pulled the covers up over her. She carefully slipped her glasses off and set them aside on the nightstand and flipped on the little nightlite that she insisted she was too old for. Sakura had caught her sleeping with it on a few times though. She brushed the black wisps of hair from her sleeping face and kissed her forehead. It was moments like these that made her miss having young children around. She hoped Sasuke would change his mind on talking about it before she got too impatient. It would only be a matter of time before Hinata's pregnancy will influence the other women around the village and she would be the odd one out. And she'll be damned if Ino has another baby before her.

Sakura went back downstairs to lock the doors and make sure everything was in place before she went up to bed. She passed by the study, the light peeking from the crack of the door indicated Sasuke was still doing whatever it was he did in there. She sighed as she passed by and went back upstairs to the bedroom. She put on an old tshirt and some short and settled into her side of the bed. It didn't take much time for her to drift off to sleep.

Some time later she woke up to Sasuke gently slipping into the bed next to her. She laid still, her back towards him. She felt him lay there for a moment, settling into his side of the bed. Once she felt him relax she closed her eyes again. Then, a hand snaked round her waist and pulled her closer. Sakura gasped as she felt his hard muscled body against her back. Sasuke buried his face in her neck. "You give me too much, Sakura." he whispered tentatively, as if this had been weighing on him.

Sakura wiggled in his hold, trying to turn over and face him, but he kept her right where she was. "Sasuke, if I could give you the world i would."

"I don't deserve your loyalty." he held her tightly.

Sakura tried again to face him but his grip was strong even if he only had one arm. She gave up after a second and sighed. "Don't talk like that Sasuke-kun." she traced her fingers lightly over the forearm that firmly held her in place, reassuring him.

"I know you want to have another baby. I just…" Sasuke hesitated. Sakura's heart skipped a beat. She knew it would be hard for him. Though Sasuke acted cool, when Sarada was born she knew he freaked a little inside. He didn't know how to handle it so he decided to just get lost in his work.

She patted his arm. "It's ok… We don't have to rush it." With that he seemed to relax. His grip on her went slack eventually as sleep found him. Only when they were completely alone would he allow himself to show her his emotions. Sakura cherished this moment, her eyes growing heavy again as she found peace in his embrace..


End file.
